World production and grain composition of major cultivated species
By Deependra Dhakal in agriculture Plant Breeding
February 3, 2019
Context
Out of crops raised for their seed/grains (listed under 35 species, by FAO; FAOSTAT, 2014), only 22 species are produced in substantial amounts. Species of graminae and leguminosae families alone account for about 85 percent of the total grain production. As presented here in Table 1.
Production
| Crop | Crop species | World production^[Average of 2011 to 2014, FAOSTAT (2016)] (1000 t) |
|---|---|---|
| Poaceae | ||
| Maize | Zea mays L. | 950394 |
| Rice | Oryza sativa L. | 733424 |
| Wheat | Triticum spp. | 700828 |
| Barley | Hordeum vulgare L. | 138252 |
| Sorghum | Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench | 58647 |
| Millet^[May include members of other genera such as Pennisetum, Papspalm, Setoria and Echinochla] | Panicum miliaceum L. | 26528 |
| Oat | Avena sativa L. | 22639 |
| Rye | Secale cereale L. | 14906 |
| Triticale | X Triticosecale Wittm ex A. Camus | 14653 |
| Fabaceae | ||
| Soybean | Glycine max (L.) Merrill | 272426 |
| Groundnut^[In the shell] | Arachis hypogaea L. | 41366 |
| Bean^[Also includes other species of Phaseolus and, in some countries, Vigna species.] | Phaseolus vulgaris L. | 23898 |
| Chickpea | Cicer arietinum L. | 12735 |
| Pea, dry^[May include P. arvense (field pea).] | Pisum sativum L. | 11013 |
| Cowpea | Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. | 6661 |
| Lentil | Lens culinaris Medikus | 4831 |
| Broad bean | Vicia faba L. | 4332 |
| Pigeon pea | Cajanus cajan L. Millsp. | 4454 |
| Others^[Rapeseed is in the Brassicaceae, sunflower and safflower are in the Asteraceae, and sesame is in Pedaliaceae.] | ||
| Rapeseed^[May include industrial and edible (canola) types, data from some countries includes mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern, et Coss)] | Brassica napus L., B campestris L. | 67789 |
| Sunflower | Helianthus annuus L. | 40931 |
| Sesame | Sesamum indicum L. | 4738 |
| Safflower | Carthamus tinctoris L. | 776 |
Grain composition
| Crop | Crop species | Harvested unit | Seed carbohydrate (g_per_kg) | Seed oil (g_per_kg) | Seed protein (g_per_kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poaceae | |||||
| Maize | Zea mays L. | Caryopsis | 800 | 50 | 100 |
| Rice | Oryza sativa L. | Caryopsis | 880 | 20 | 80 |
| Wheat | Triticum spp. | Caryopsis | 750 | 20 | 120 |
| Barley | Hordeum vulgare L. | Caryopsis^[Harvested grain usually includes the lemma and palea] | 760 | 30 | 120 |
| Sorghum | Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench | Caryopsis | 820 | 40 | 120 |
| Millet^[May include members of other genera such as Pennisetum, Papspalm, Setoria and Echinochla] | Panicum miliaceum L. | Caryopsis | 690 | 50 | 110 |
| Oat | Avena sativa L. | Caryopsis^[Harvested grain usually includes the lemma and palea] | 660 | 80 | 130 |
| Rye | Secale cereale L. | Caryopsis | 760 | 20 | 120 |
| Triticale | X Triticosecale Wittm ex A. Camus | Caryopsis | 594 | 18 | 131 |
| Fabaceae | |||||
| Soybean | Glycine max (L.) Merrill | Non-endospermic seed | 260 | 170 | 370 |
| Groundnut^[In the shell] | Arachis hypogaea L. | Non-endospermic seed | 120 | 480 | 310 |
| Bean^[Also includes other species of Phaseolus and, in some countries, Vigna species.] | Phaseolus vulgaris L. | Non-endospermic seed | 620 | 20 | 240 |
| Chickpea | Cicer arietinum L. | Non-endospermic seed | 680 | 50 | 230 |
| Pea, dry^[May include P. arvense (field pea).] | Pisum sativum L. | Non-endospermic seed | 520 | 60 | 250 |
| Cowpea | Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. | Non-endospermic seed | 570 | 10 | 250 |
| Lentil | Lens culinaris Medikus | Non-endospermic seed | 670 | 10 | 280 |
| Broad bean | Vicia faba L. | Non-endospermic seed | 560 | 10 | 230 |
| Pigeon pea | Cajanus cajan L. Millsp. | Non-endospermic seed | 560 | 20 | 250 |
| Others^[Rapeseed is in the Brassicaceae, sunflower and safflower are in the Asteraceae, and sesame is in Pedaliaceae.] | |||||
| Rapeseed^[May include industrial and edible (canola) types, data from some countries includes mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern, et Coss)] | Brassica napus L., B campestris L. | Non-endospermic seed | 190 | 480 | 210 |
| Sunflower | Helianthus annuus L. | Cypsela | 480 | 290 | 200 |
| Sesame | Sesamum indicum L. | Non-endospermic seed | 190 | 540 | 200 |
| Safflower | Carthamus tinctoris L. | Cypsela | 500 | 330 | 140 |
References
Page 3 and 4, Seed Biology and Yield of Grain Crops, 2nd Edition
Seed composition data from Bewley et.al. (2013), Sinclair and de Wit (1975), Langer and Hill (1991), Hulse et.al. (1980), and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (2015)
- Posted on:
- February 3, 2019
- Length:
- 3 minute read, 597 words
- Categories:
- agriculture Plant Breeding
- Tags:
- agriculture plant breeding